Take Action Over 'Screenscrapers': Ryanair

Budget airline Ryanair has announced it has submitted over 50 separate complaints to Consumer Protection Authorities in Ireland, UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain against so-called screenscraper websites.

The flyer claims it has spotted "blatant breaches of consumer legislation" by websites including Bravofly, Opodo and Wegolo.

Screenscraper websites scan information on flights and times from source internet sites and paste them on their own sites.

Ryanair called on the National Consumer Agency of Ireland, the UK Office of Fair Trading and their equivalents in other European countries to take "urgent action" over the issue.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said: "These misleading and unfair practices lead unsuspecting consumers to pay inflated prices for flight tickets or to inadvertently purchase services which they did not request and do not require.

"It is in the best interest of European consumers that the same rules that apply to airline websites are also followed by screenscraper websites.

"While the majority of airlines are compliant with the Checklist, many of these screenscraper websites continue to breach the most fundamental price transparency requirements."

Mr McNamara said Ryanair was now calling on European Consumer Protection Authorities to put an end to the "overcharging of consumers" by screenscraper websites, by taking action on the 50 Ryanair complaints in which have been made in six EU countries.

Last year, Ryanair won a German court victory against tour company Vtours, which it had accused of screen-scraping its website.

(DW/BMcC)